


It's All In The Air

by monkiainen



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Always Mute Ori, Everyone else knows but Thorin, Insecurity, M/M, Thorin Builds a Library as a Courting Gift, Thorin Has Feelings, clueless thorin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 17:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8761990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkiainen/pseuds/monkiainen
Summary: At first Thorin does not pay attention to the always quiet Ori. Somewhere along the way things change.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mm8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mm8/gifts).



At first Thorin had paid no attention to the youngest brother of the House of Ri. The young dwarf was a scribe, not a warrior by heart – and it was warriors he needed in his guest. The always silent dwarf never tried to engage a conversation with anyone else in the company, so Thorin usually forgot about his existence. If Dori and Nori were so adamant to bring their brother to the guest then they better make sure Ori didn't get himself killed.

After the first two months Thorin still wondered why Ori never talked with anyone else. Didn't he realise that social interaction was crucial to the guest? Even Bifur tried his best to participate, with his old injury and all. Thorin wanted answers, and he wanted them now. One night Thorin made a point of asking Dori why his brother wanted to remain silent when everyone else was sharing stories in good spirit. The answer he got was not the one he was expecting.

It turned out that the birth of Ori hadn't been a normal one. He had born way too early, almost so early that the midwife assisting their mother had been sure that the little dwarfling wouldn't make it through the first night. On top of that, the birth itself had been hard and exhausting to their mother, who sadly passed away mere hours after giving birth to her youngest son. So the weakling had been left in care of Dori and Nori, who had did everything they could with their meagre supplies in the middle of the winter. Little Ori had been so sick he hadn't even had the strength to cry – and when the months passed by, he never cried at all, even when he was getting better.

Ori had never made a sound in his life, not even as a baby. 

The thought of a new-born dwarf weakened so badly because of deprivation broke Thorin's heart. Maybe if he had been older and more experienced as a warrior when Smaug came he could have done something to prevent it. But now there was nothing to do about the matter – Thorin couldn't give Ori a voice, no matter how much he wanted to. So he settled in watching the younger dwarf more closely, ensuring that Ori felt like he was an equal member of the company despite his inability to speak. 

Just because Ori wasn't able to speak, it turned out he wasn't able to communicate. Thorin discovered that Ori was a talented artist, often turning their daily life into detailed drawings. What other dwarves could do to stone and metals, Ori could do to the paper and ink. There and then Thorin decided that when he had claimed Erebor back he would make Ori his master scribe. His talents needed recognition.

Once they had acquired the hobbit to their company, though, Thorin forgot all about his plans considering Ori. He was more worried about how in the name of Mahal they were going to succeed in their mission with Bilbo Baggins – if he was a burglar, then Thorin was an elf! What on earth was Gandalf thinking, bringing such a weak warrior to their mission? It was unexpected! Thorin had enough on his plate already, and babysitting a hobbit who didn't have a clue how to hold a sword was not a part of his plans!

Surprisingly their guest worked out in the end, but the price was almost too much to pay. Thorin was ashamed to admit he had been overcome with greed, his mind clouded because of the Arkenstone. If it hadn't been for Bilbo's courage... Thorin shuddered, for even the thought of losing everything over a bloody stone was devastating. The Arkenstone was now safely hidden inside Erebor, so deep in the mountain that no one was able to find it ever again. It was for the best.

After everything was said and done, Thorin remembered his original sentiment of making Ori his head scribe. It really shouldn't be that hard to do, since they didn't have a head scribe at the moment and Ori was by far the most qualified person for the job despite his young age. And if someone disagreed with Thorin – well, he was a king now, so it didn't really matter. As long as the whole Arkenstone didn't happen again.

There was also pressure from… well, mainly from Dís, but still – for him to finally marry. A King needed a Queen or a Consort, and there was nothing Thorin could do to prevent it from happening. He really, really, needed to marry sooner than later. But Thorin had more important things to think about than marriage, such as giving Ori his position. It was of utmost importance.

Bilbo, his dear friend, then pointed out than perhaps Thorin should do some soul-searching and figure out why making sure that everything was alright with Ori was so important to him.

Oh. _Oh._ That… did make sense.

Thorin then asked to see Dori and Nori immediately, for he couldn't start properly courting Ori before asking their permission. A sudden spike of dread took over Thorin's mind – what if Dori and Nori saw him unfit to court their brother? It was a possibility, as Thorin's actions when his mind was clouded by the Arkenstone were appalling to say the least. Who would want a dwarf like that in their family, even if he were a king? Thorin prepared for the worse and hoped for the best.

It turned out that Dori and Nori had already been expecting Thorin's plea – apparently everyone but Thorin had been aware of Thorin's feelings towards the younger dwarf. And he had thought he had been subtle. With warnings from Dori, and threats from Nori in his mind, Thorin started planning his next course of action. What could he give to Ori that would show him that Thorin was serious with him? A new set of quills? Quality parchment? A new library?

Indeed, a new library was definitely needed, so Thorin called out to his best builders and made it absolutely clear that he only wanted the best for his future Consort. Weeks, months went by, until the new and improved library was ready to be presented. Thorin had never felt so nervous before, not even when Dís was giving birth to his sister-sons. What if Ori rejected his courting? What if Ori wanted… someone not tainted with the gold sickness? If that was the case then Thorin would never marry anyone else – Ori was the only one he wanted.

The always silent dwarf took his time around the library, cataloguing every nook and notch. Ori stroked the backs of some of the older tomes, a wistful look in his eyes. After what felt like an eternity, Ori finally turned to look Thorin. No words were needed as Ori's eyes told Thorin exactly what he wanted to hear – Ori returned his feelings and was very much accepting Thorin's courting. A weight was lifted from Thorin's shoulders, and he vowed there and then he would do anything to keep Ori happy. 

Ori took Thorin's hand, smiling. Thorin could only smile back – his heart had finally found home.


End file.
